'Shrooms, Dolly & Free Tacos

^{ONE GEN X THING}

Gen X D.A.R.E.s to Keep Partying

It turns out all those D.A.R.E. classes didn’t really stick well with Generation X.

A recent government study reveals that the use of marijuana, hallucinogens, and binge drinking reached all-time highs in 2022 among Gen X and our younger millennial counterparts.

Some findings:

• 28% of midlife adults (ages 35-50) reported using marijuana in the past year, a significant increase from the 13% reported a decade ago.

• 4% reported using hallucinogens in the past year, which is higher (ahem) than the rates from five and ten years ago.

• Additionally, binge drinking among midlife adults also reached record levels at 29%, up from 23% a decade ago.

Our kids seem to be faring better, though. Rates of cigarette use, sedative use, binge drinking, non-medical opioid use, and amphetamine use among young adults aged 19 to 30 have been declining over the past decade.

*****

BONUS STORY: John Stamos turns 60.

^PRE-TIREMENT

Money

• Gen X could be sitting on a gold mine in the form of collectibles from the 70s and 80s. Check your parents’ attics STAT to see if you have any of these valuable items waiting to make you some serious money.

• Yes, we’re going to talk about retirement … again. Here are four things that Gen X can do right now to reach our retirement (what’s that?) goals. No. 1 is super important in today’s uncertain economy.

• If you’re looking for some non-traditional savings advice, Grant Cardone recommends not putting your money in retirement accounts. You need to put it here instead.

*****

Travel

• If you’re itching to do some leaf peeping this Fall, here are some the world’s most colorful destinations. Time to dust off your passport.

*****

Health

• A study in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology shows that you need far fewer steps per day than previously thought to reduce the risk dying from a cardiovascular disease. See ya, Fitbit.

• Speaking of studies, researchers in Hong Kong have determined the optimal sleep position to reduce back and neck pain. Are the extra wrinkles worth it, though?

*****

BONUS STORY: Taco Bell will foot the bill for your next Taco Tuesday.

^{IN PARTNERSHIP WITH MINDHONEY}

For Gen Xer’s Who DARE to Indulge …

UNLOCK YOUR MIND'S FULL POTENTIAL

The first all-in-one cognitive supplement solution designed for enhanced daily focus, energy, mood, creativity, and clarity. All-natural formulation blended with adaptogenic herbs, natural nootropics, organic mushrooms, and vital vitamins.

FOCUS | ENERGY | MOOD | CLARITY

Use code 'STACK20' at checkout for 20% OFF! (plus free shipping included)

EXPLORE MINDHONEY BENEFITS

^{YOU MAKE THE CALL}

Should Parents Pay for Family Vacations?

A whopping 50% of millennials recently polled by Newsweek said that their parents should pay for them to go on family vacations. As a reminder, millennials are currently in the 28-40 age range. Some millennials said they couldn’t afford to go on vacation if their parents didn’t pay, while others shunned the idea in favor of being independent.

What we want to know this week is:

Last week’s results.

Which of these 1980s bubblegum flavors was the best?

⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ Bubblicious raspberry (1)

⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ Hubba Bubba blueberry (0)

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 BubbleYum grape (17)

⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ BubbleYum bananaberry split (1)

⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ Bubblicious orange (2)

🟨🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ Bubblicious watermelon (7)

28 Votes

Latchkey readers chimed in on the winner, BubbleYum grape:

• “You couldn't get by with chewing this in school since the smell was so strong.”

• “Read the name and my mouth just started watering! Good memories I forgot I even had. On the bus after school chomping away and looking forward to all my favorite television shows when I got home.”

^{… AND THE REST}

• A musical adaptation of the S.E. Hinton’s classic 1967 teen novel (and Francis Ford Coppola’s 1983 film!) The Outsiders is headed to Broadway. It’s slated to open April 11, 2024 and Angelina Jolie is a lead producer. Stay gold, Ponyboy.

• The kids mullet champion of 2023 has been crowned! His mullet name is “Cheddar Wiz” and he’s adorable.

• The musical collaboration you’ve been waiting for! Dolly Parton singing “Let It Be,” featuring — wait for it — Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr.

• Fans of 80s synth-pop group Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark — rejoice! OMD is releasing new music this year.

• A reboot of “Frasier” is coming soon to Paramount+. Kelsey Grammer will, of course, be starring in it, but some of our favorite characters will be missing.

• If you haven’t checked in recently with that old Gmail account of yours, you might want to — Google is preparing to do a big purge.

• We are loving this list of the 50 Worst Decisions in TV History. There are a few epic Gen X moments in there, but we can all agree that #41 is a stand out, right?

Milestones. 

August 29, 2005: Hurricane Katrina makes her 2nd and 3rd landfall as a cat 3 hurricane, devastating the Gulf Coast from Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle. At least 1,836 people were killed and damages were totaled at more than $115 billion.

August 31, 1997: Princess Diana is killed in car crash in Paris.

September 1, 1983: Korean Air Lines Flight 007 is shot down by a Russian fighter jet while en route from New York’s JFK airport to Seoul, South Korea, killing all 269 persons on board.

^{FROM THE GEN X MEMORY VAULT}

Tasty Memes and Memories

*****

*****

^{WEEKLY EAR WORM}

“They Don’t Know” by Tracey Ullman

If you’re familiar with Tracey Ullman’s 1983 banger of a love song, They Don’t Know, you have our apologies for implanting it in your head for the rest of the weekend. We were today years old when we learned the song was penned by the late, great Kirsty MacColl, who actually voices one of the song’s more memorable lines.

Bay-ay-be-ee.

If you’ve never seen the video, click thru right now and be sure to watch until the very end for a pretty great cameo.